Police ID Pedestrian Killed Trying To Cross Interstate 35 In North Austin [UPDATED]

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Police on Monday identified the pedestrian killed after being hit by two cars while trying to cross a portion of Interstate 35 two weeks ago.

James Arthur Gantt, 61, was struck by a red 1997 Ford pickup truck traveling southbound in the 5300 block of North Interstate 35. Police said the driver of the truck did not see the driver as it was still dark outside at 5:50 a.m. when the accident occurred.

After the pedestrian was hit, another motorist — who was driving a blue 2011 Hyundai that was following behind the red Ford — had no time to react and ran over the man. Both drivers remained on the scene, police said.

Police said the case is still being investigated. Anyone with information is urged to call police at (512) 974-5789. Tips also can be submitted by downloading the Austin Police Department mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.

The man's death marked the 63rd fatal traffic crash and the 64th fatality of 2016. At this time in 2015, there were 90 traffic fatalities in Austin.

From Nov. 17:

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A pedestrian was killed Wednesday morning after darting through traffic on Interstate 35, police said.

The death shut down the southbound lanes of the highway near Highway 290 for about four hours during the height of rush hour, KEYE reported. Police told the station pedestrians are known to cross the highway at the site along the 5500 block of North I-35 given the abundance of nearby hotels.

Hotel employees told the station seeing people crossing the highway is a regular occurrence, some saying a pedestrian bridge or bus stop to transport people to other destinations might mitigate the problem.

Police haven't provided any details save to say the victim was a black male who was hit by two cars. The drivers were cooperating with police as part of their investigation, police said.

>>> Read the full story at KEYE